Gridfinity for IKEA ALEX
IKEA's ALEX drawers are among the most popular furniture for Gridfinity. Here you'll find the inner dimensions of all common ALEX versions, how many 42 mm units fit and how tall your bins can be. One click opens the matching template in the Gridmint planner.
| Version | Inner size (W × D × H) | Units | Padding | Max. bin height | Parts on Bambu P1S / A1 mini | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALEX 36 × 70 cm (5 drawers) – shallow drawer | 296 × 522 × 86 mm | 7 × 12 | width ≈ 1 mm, depth 8.5 mm each | 11 units | 6 / 8 | Open |
| ALEX 36 × 70 cm (5 drawers) – deep drawer | 296 × 522 × 132 mm | 7 × 12 | width ≈ 1 mm, depth 8.5 mm each | 17 units | 6 / 8 | Open |
| ALEX with 9 drawers (36 × 116 cm) | 296 × 423 mm | 7 × 10 | width ≈ 1 mm, depth 1 mm each | measure yourself | 4 / 6 | Open |
| ALEX on castors 67 × 66 cm – shallow drawer | 600 × 423 × 66 mm | 14 × 10 | width 5.5 mm each, depth 1 mm each | 8 units | 6 / 12 | Open |
| ALEX on castors 67 × 66 cm – deep drawer | 600 × 423 × 87 mm | 14 × 10 | width 5.5 mm each, depth 1 mm each | 11 units | 6 / 12 | Open |
Height = from the drawer bottom to the underside of whatever sits above it when closed. One unit is 7 mm, calculated with the “Lattice” baseplate, stacking lip and 0.5 mm air, without a lid. With a lid it is correspondingly less – the planner accounts for that automatically. Parts = baseplate split for the print bed with puzzle joints and staggered seams.
ALEX drawer unit 36 × 70 cm: 7 × 12 units
The drawers of the narrow ALEX unit (36 × 70 cm, 5 drawers) are about 296 mm wide and 522 mm deep inside. Seven Gridfinity units take 294 mm – it fits, but leaves only about one millimeter of play. So only a slim 1 mm strip remains at the side, while Gridmint spreads the spare depth evenly front and back.
The shallow drawer takes bins up to 11 height units, the deep one up to 17. That makes the shallow drawer great for pens, bits and small parts, and the deep one for tools and cables.
ALEX on castors 67 × 66 cm: 14 × 10 units
The drawers of the wide ALEX on castors (67 × 66 cm) measure about 600 × 423 mm inside. That gives 14 × 10 units, with 5.5 mm left on each side, which Gridmint adds to the baseplate as padding. In depth, one millimeter remains at the front and back.
The shallow drawers are only 66 mm tall inside – plan bins of 8 units at most. The deep drawers allow 11 units.
ALEX with 9 drawers (36 × 116 cm)
The tall ALEX unit with nine drawers (36 × 116 cm) is as wide as the 36 cm unit but shallower: about 296 × 423 mm inside, so 7 × 10 units. The usable height varies from drawer to drawer – best measure it yourself and enter it in the planner. Gridmint will warn you if a bin gets too tall.
Printing the baseplate: how many parts you need
A baseplate for a full ALEX drawer is bigger than any print bed. Gridmint splits it automatically into equal parts that lock together with dovetail puzzle joints. The seams are staggered so the plate stays rigid.
- Bambu Lab A1 mini (180 × 180 mm): 8 parts for the narrow, 12 for the wide ALEX
- Bambu Lab P1S and X1 (256 × 256 mm): 6 parts
- Prusa MK4: 6 or 8 parts
- Bambu Lab H2S: 2 or 5 parts
For Bambu Lab printers Gridmint creates a ready-made Bambu Studio project with all parts on the plates (including a pause for the color change when you add labels). For other slicers you get 3MF, STL and STEP.
How to measure
IKEA occasionally changes its furniture, and drawers can vary by a few millimeters. Measure once before printing:
- Width and depth inside, at the bottom – where the baseplate sits.
- Height from the drawer bottom to the underside of whatever sits above it when closed (the cabinet or the drawer above). The drawer's own side wall is not what limits you.
If your numbers differ, just enter them in the planner and Gridmint recalculates everything.
Open the ALEX template in the planner
Frequently asked questions
Does Gridfinity fit IKEA ALEX?
Yes. The narrow ALEX drawers take 7 × 12 units (7 × 10 in the 9-drawer ALEX), the wide ones 14 × 10. The width of the narrow ALEX is very tight with about one millimeter of play – measure first.
How tall can Gridfinity bins be in an ALEX?
Up to 11 units (7 mm each) in the shallow narrow drawer and 17 in the deep one. In the wide ALEX it's 8 (shallow) or 11 units (deep). If you use lids, plan a little lower.
Do I have to split the baseplate myself?
No. Gridmint splits the baseplate to fit your printer and connects the parts with puzzle joints.
Related
IKEA and ALEX are trademarks of Inter IKEA Systems B.V. Gridmint is an independent project and not affiliated with IKEA. Dimensions: IKEA specifications and measurements from the Gridfinity community, as of October 2026.